


The stars gaze back

by elareine



Series: Advent Calendar 2019 [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Bruce Wayne is there in spirit, First Meetings, Gen, Humor, Inspired by Stardust, Kidnapping, M/M, Meet-Cute, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:00:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21634060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elareine/pseuds/elareine
Summary: In which Jason finds himself in a crater in fairy country with a very beautiful guy. Now, if only he could find that damn star…
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd
Series: Advent Calendar 2019 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1558834
Comments: 8
Kudos: 125





	The stars gaze back

**Author's Note:**

> For day two of my advent calendar: "Look for the fallen star."

_ “Fuck you. I’ll be back with the star before you know it. _ ” 

In hindsight, this might’ve not been Jason’s brightest plan. The Babylon candle had been the only thing his late mother had left him; the embodiment of her dying wish that Jason would visit the magic land she had stolen him from—or something like that. It was a bit difficult to parse her exact requests, given that she had been high as fuck when she spoke of them. 

But anyway, that candle was gone now, wasted on this journey to fuck-knows-where, just because Jason had let himself be provoked. Again. 

…Bruce had been a  _ real _ dick, though. Going on and on about Jason not throwing away his destiny, making it sound like he was some kind of lost prince instead of a street rat. When his promises hadn’t worked, he had started baiting Jason, telling him he would never manage to travel across the border or do anything as worthwhile as finding a piece of a fallen star. 

Jason groaned. Great. He’d fallen for it again. Bruce got his wish. Jason had grabbed the candle, and off he went. 

Which was how Jason found himself in a crater with a beautiful guy and no star in sight. Of course. Not even that could go right for him. 

“Uhm.” The guy blinked at him with huge blue eyes. “What happened?” 

“Fucked if I know, I just got here,” Jason grumbled. “You were passed out.” He’d checked the other man’s pulse and put him into the recovery position, but honestly, that was about as far as his interest went. Jason wanted to get that piece of rock that had led him here and then get the fuck out of here.

There was silence. Then: “What are you looking for?” 

“The star.” 

“The star.” 

“Yes, the star—” Jason whirled around, hand on the knife hidden in his back pocket, just in case. “Do you know where it is?” 

“Are you dumb?” The condescension was just about dripping from the other man’s voice.

“What—

Jason was ready to hit the guy, just to feel a little bit better, when he paused and actually took in what his eyes had been trying to tell him. The guy was pretty beautiful, yeah, but there was something eery about it. Like. Unearthly. Almost like he was… glowing. “Oh. Excuse me.” 

The star looked taken aback, which was all the time Jason needed. The handcuffs clicked into place. 

“Got to prove something to an asshole back home. So. Sorry, you’re coming with me.” 

Look. Jason had no idea how the man was, apparently, a star. That kind of thing was beyond his paygrade. But he had traveled here by candlelight into the fairy country that his mother had told him was his birthright, so he was feeling pretty open to just rolling with it. 

“What the—” the star looked appropriately indignant for the first time. “Get that off me!” 

“Nope.” 

“You’re kidnapping me!” 

“Yes.” 

Apparently, it registered that Jason wasn’t going to be swayed by morals. The star looked at the cuff around his wrist and pouted. “That’ll hurt. I don’t like metal.”

Huh. That was quite the pout. Jason didn’t trust it, but he relented a bit: “Tell you what. I’ll replace it with a rope or something once we get to a hotel.”

The star rolled his eyes. “How kind of you.” 

“That’s me. What’s your name?” 

“Richard.” 

“Dick, then.” Jason nodded toward the edge of the crater. “I’m Jason. Let’s get going.” 

He began walking. It looked like Richard—Dick— wanted to stay stubbornly in place, but Jason was not a light man. The pull on the chain soon convinced the star to follow him. 

Neither of them commented on the small power struggle. Instead, Dick said: “I’m sure I have heard humans use that as an insult, among other things.” 

“It’s also a time-honored nickname that speaks of affection.” 

Dick looked at him suspiciously. “I will find out if you’re lying.”

“Sure. Say,” Jason changed the topic, “what are you doing here in the first place? Something knock you out of place?” 

“No, I came here of my own volition.” Dick was panting more than the climb warranted. Shit. Had he been hurt by the fall, after all? 

Jason slowed down. “You okay?” 

“How do you humans do this all day?” 

“What? Complain?” 

“Walking!” Dick threw his hands into the air dramatically, a gesture only slightly marred by the fact that his hand was still cuffed to Jason’s. “I’m used to flying, not this—this—torture!” 

Jason rolled his eyes and began walking again even as he was already planning to get them a car (or the fairy country equivalent—a horse, with his luck) at the earliest opportunity. “Drama queen. Why did you come down here, if walking is so terrible?” 

“I have been watching you humans for thousands of years. I suppose I was… curious. What it felt like.” 

Jason glanced at the smooth, boyish face. Dick sure as shit didn’t look that old. 

Fuck. He’d just assaulted an elderly person. Bruce would not be happy. “What what felt like? What do you want to do?” 

“Oh, you know. Fall in love,” Dick winked at Jason, who tried not to get flustered, “have an adventure.” 

Just that moment, they reached the top of the crater. All around and beneath them were wide open plains. In the distance, Jason could see a black carriage pulled by six horses head toward them. 

“Well, Dick,” he said absently, hand going for his knife, “I think you’ve come to the right place.” 


End file.
